TIFF 2022: Aftersun Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

A few of the elements and nuances of raising a daughter in this day and age are addressed in Aftersun, an intimate character study about a father spending time with his pre-teen daughter over summer vacation. The film delivers a heartwarming story that many lovers of cinema will enjoy while mainstream audiences will surely grow tired of as not enough of note happens to maintain their interest.

Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio do impressive work and have some stellar chemistry as Callum and Sophie, the aforementioned father and pre-teen daughter. Sophie was such a delight to watch as a bubbly and inquisitive pre-teen that wants to know more. Meanwhile, Callum’s quest as a troubled father who simply wants to do everything he can with his daughter in his limited time they have together, in spite of what appeared to be some personal issues below the surface, was truly heart-wrenching to watch. In the end, the real triumph of Aftersun is its screenplay. Writer/director Charlotte Wells does a wonderful job at giving rather mundane moments real weight and power. That being said, her direction is clever but not otherworldly, resulting in what is a solid, intimate and touching portrayal of not only of fatherhood but also of life and the struggles one faces navigating through its ups and downs.

On a technical level, its cinematography is decent, giving sequences some cinematic flair in an otherwise curious film that can be otherwise be described as fine in most areas. Wells effectively bring viewers into this world and captures the beautiful father and daughter relationship dynamic of Callum and Sophie not just for the sake of tugging at heart strings but for forcing audiences to take a look at themselves and thinking about the time they have to spend with the ones they care about.

In the end, Aftersun may be a tiny film but it is also one that’s full of heart, even if it doesn’t always appear to have that much to say. While its simplicity is sure to leave many audiences in the taillights, it is also one of the aspects that will endear it to others.

(original review)

*still courtesy of a24

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Russell Miller

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